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14 September 2011

The Russians are hoping to re-engage with the Norks, and help stabilize the situation. Or maybe the Russians just want to show their guys that it could be worse than wherever they are.

Russia has moved to upgrade its relations with North Korea, announcing plans to revive defence ties between the two countries and to write off Pyongyang’s multibillion dollar debt.

The Russia and North Korean military will hold their first joint drill next year, said a spokesman for the Russian Eastern Military District.

Lieutenant Colonel Igor Muginov was quoted by the Interfax wire service as saying that the joint military exercise will involve search and rescue of ships in distress and humanitarian aid to populations hit by natural calamities.

The decision to hold war games was reached when Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Military District Admiral Konstantin Sidenko visited Pyongyang last month.

North Korea was a close ally of the former Soviet Union but defence ties were frozen after the latter’s disintegration 20 years ago. The planned joint defence drill is part of Russia’s recent efforts to re-engage North Korea in order to stabilise the situation on the Korean Peninsula.